Russian probe speculation played down

By Amy Remeikis

When something seemingly falls from the sky, popular culture demands we ask certain questions.

Was it a bird?

What goes up ... Phobos-Grunt lifts off on November 9.

Was it a plane?

Was it the Russian Mars probe; Phobos-Grunt?

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The latter question was hot on every space boffin’s mind yesterday as space authorities and scientists waited to see where the failed Mars mission probe would land.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had announced late last year its attempts to contact its probe had failed and it remained stuck in orbit, its rocket boosters unable to fire.

The plan was for it to land on Phobos, one of two moons orbiting Mars, and bring rocky samples back to Earth.

After announcing its failure, the agency predicted it would fall in the ocean. Which ocean was open to debate.

Rumours the probe may have crashed landed in the west Queensland town of Charleville began circulating late yesterday after a light airplane pilot reported seeing something fall from the sky just after 1pm (Queensland time) while flying through the area.

The pilot radioed his sighting to an air traffic controller, who, according to a spokesman from Air Services Australia, who looks after this sort of thing, checked to make sure no airborne planes were missing.

None were, but ASA still contacted Australian Search and Rescue, just in case.

They also advised the Defence Force’s Joint Operations Command.

Nothing unusual has been reported from any agency, but that didn’t stop the rumour mill from running as hot as the Phobos-Grunt must have been upon re-entry.

Jane Morgan, manager of the Cosmos Centre and Observatory in Charleville, was over run with phone calls this morning, with people across the country wanting to know if the Phobos-Grunt had made an Australian detour.

“It’s the biggest mystery in the history of the universe,” she laughed.

“We have had calls from all over about it. Someone called and asked about South America. We had to tell them ‘sorry, can’t help you with that one, that’s a bit far out for us’,”.